Syrian insurgents have captured four towns in a significant push toward the central city of Hama, opposition activists reported Tuesday. Meanwhile, government forces reclaimed the village of Khanaser, highlighting the fluid and violent nature of Syria`s ongoing conflict. The insurgents, led by the Salafi-jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Turkey-backed fighters, now stand about 10 kilometers from Hama, Syria`s fourth-largest city. The offensive has also seen gains in Aleppo and parts of Idlib province in recent days. 

China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The high commissioner entered the MoFA around 4pm on Tuesday. When asked, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said the Indian envoy has been asked to come. The Indian high commissioner is in a meeting with acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah.

Drought costs the world more than $300 billion each year, the United Nations warned Tuesday in a report published on the second day of international talks on desertification in Saudi Arabia. Fuelled by "human destruction of the environment", drought is projected to affect 75 percent of the world`s population by 2050, the report cautioned.